


Silent Treatment

by literaryoblivion



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Anger, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-23
Updated: 2013-05-23
Packaged: 2017-12-12 18:44:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/814773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literaryoblivion/pseuds/literaryoblivion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek knows he’s right. He knows that he probably should have done what Stiles had said and waited before charging in, and he hates that Stiles is right, is usually right, because he is the damn Alpha. He’s not supposed to cater to people. He’s the leader damn it, and if he wants to run in to save the day, he fucking can. He should be allowed. </p><p>And Stiles always does this. He always yells at Derek, pointing out the things he did wrong, what he should have done, what an idiot he was being because he didn’t do this, or didn’t listen to that. And quite frankly Derek’s fucking tired of it because the kid never shuts up. Ever. Not even when things are perfectly normal and their lives aren’t in danger. Derek is pretty fucking sure Stiles is incapable of being silent for more than 5 minutes.</p><p>Stiles proves him wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Silent Treatment

“And if you had just listened to me before you just darted off into the woods, you would have realized that I had known it was a trap, but _noooo_. You gotta be all big bad Alpha wolf and just attack first ask questions later. So then I have to come in and save your ass, _again,_ and _I’m_ the human here.”

Derek’s hands are gripping the steering wheel so tight that he’s surprised it hasn’t broken off in his hands yet. It’s taking everything in him not to lash out at Stiles who’s in the seat next to him as they drive off from yet another crime scene, witches this time, because he can feel his claws just barely coming out the longer Stiles goes on.

And he does go on. Because he is pissed, and Derek knows he’s right. He _knows_ that he probably should have done what Stiles had said and waited before charging in, and he _hates_ that Stiles is right, is usually right, because **_he_** _is_ the damn Alpha. He’s not supposed to cater to people. He’s the leader damn it, and if he wants to run in to save the day, he fucking can. He should be allowed. Maybe he knew it was a trap (he didn’t), and he wanted to have the element of surprise on his side anyway (that is just stupid and illogical).

And Stiles always does this. He always yells at Derek, pointing out the things he did wrong, what he should have done, what an idiot he was being because he didn’t do this, or didn’t listen to that. And quite frankly Derek’s fucking tired of it because the kid _never_ shuts up. Ever. Not even when things are perfectly normal and their lives aren’t in danger. Derek is pretty fucking sure Stiles is incapable of being silent for more than 5 minutes, and he doesn’t even understand how someone could even have that much to say.

By the time they are nearing Stiles’s neighborhood, Derek is fuming. He hasn’t even been able to listen to anything Stiles has said, not that he fucking wants to because he knows it’s nothing but berating and insulting to him and his intelligence, because all he can hear is the rush of his blood in his ears, his heart pounding fast because he is so fucking done.

“Shut. Up. Stiles.” He says it quietly at first, although Stiles can tell he is holding back his rage when he says it. But because Stiles doesn’t know when to quit, he goes on.

“No. Because you need to fucking pay attention and listen to me. What is the point of me doing all this research and preparation when you’re just going to ignore it all and do whatever the fuck you want? It’s like you—“

“ _SHUT THE FUCK UP, STILES,”_ he shouts, and this time it’s loud and booming and his eyes are red, and it’s not even a flash of red either, they stay red.

If he hadn’t been driving, he probably would have lost it more, clawed his seat or something because they are definitely out and so are his fangs. He doesn’t slash anything though because he couldn’t actually hurt Stiles. He cares about Stiles, which is probably why he hates it so much when Stiles chews him out. It cuts deeper than just some random person or even one of his betas because despite what Stiles may think or how enraged Derek is right now, he does actually value Stiles’s opinion and his judgment.

It just frustrates him to no end that Stiles always seems to want to take control, always wants to help and do something. That he’s willing to put himself in harm’s way all the time without thinking about the consequences, how easily he could get hurt and how much it’d hurt Derek if he did.

Of course Derek doesn’t say any of this because they are parked in Stiles’s driveway, and suddenly Derek realizes that ever since his outburst, which he’s positive has only been 2 minutes (they weren’t that far from Stiles’s house), Stiles has been absolutely silent.

Silent enough that Derek can actually hear Stiles’s heartbeat, which of course is not silent but beating rabbit fast and loud.

At first Derek thinks he should apologize, thinks maybe that’s what Stiles is expecting him to do, but then he decides he’s not going to. He is _glad_ Stiles is finally shutting up and not talking because now Derek can actually hear his own thoughts for once. And although he doesn’t apologize, he does finally look over at Stiles, who is hunkered down in his seat, arms crossed, his lips tight, and… that’s definitely a tear falling from his eye.

Derek feels horrible now, but they’ve sat in the car too long without saying anything that it feels like it’s too late _to_ say anything. And it is because Stiles is shoving the door open and practically throwing himself out of the car like he can’t stand being anywhere near Derek for one more second.

Then, he is slamming the car door shut behind him, the crash of it loud in Derek’s ears, and he never looks at Derek once. Doesn’t even turn back around to wave from the door like he normally does when Derek pulls away.

Instead, he stomps so loud to his front door that Derek can hear the bones of his heel and knee crack a little with every step, which must be painful since Stiles _had_ gotten hurt this time, his knee already bruising. Another reason Derek was furious at him but mostly with himself. He should have protected Stiles, but of course he had fucked up again.

Derek doesn’t pull away after Stiles violently slams his front door but waits and listens as Stiles tromps through his house and up the stairs to his room. And because Derek likes making himself feel worse, he waits until he can hear Stiles flop on his bed and really let his tears and sobs escape. Because Derek can’t do anything right, and this is him messing up one more thing in his life.

But as soon as he hears Stiles go to his window, he peels out of the driveway. He knows Stiles knows he was still out there, and although he realized he really should apologize, he is petty and wants Stiles to think he’s still angry, which he is but it’s tinged with guilt and remorse.

Stiles is smart, though, so he probably will figure it out, realize Derek was caught up in the heat of the moment, running on adrenaline and fear of how fragile Stiles is and how much he cares for him.

They both just need to cool off for a few days, and then, one of them will step up, be the man, and repair the damage.

This is what Derek thinks his whole drive home and decides that this is good. A few days without Stiles’s incessant chatter will be refreshing, and absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?

~

That first week after the incident, Derek doesn’t see Stiles at all. Doesn’t even get a snotty text or butt dial. Derek is okay with that. He sees his betas, but he doesn’t ask about Stiles, and they don’t mention him either. Derek is not upset at all at the lack of “Dudes” and “Oh my gods” he’s hearing, and by the end of the week, he is not really angry anymore and decides maybe he’s the one that has to be the person to apologize to Stiles now.

He’s thought about what happened and knows that he had overreacted big time. But sometimes for how smart Stiles is, he’s an idiot when it comes to his safety, and why can’t he see that Derek is trying his best to protect him? That that’s the reason why he jumps in without thinking because his only thought is to keep Stiles from danger.

Derek doesn’t believe he can actually say those words to Stiles though because that would be admitting something, a _big_ something, that he’s worried would only scare Stiles away. And although he loathes to admit it, by week’s end, he’s kind of missed Stiles a little bit. For so long he’s seen him almost every day either with the pack or when he goes to pick up Issac from lacrosse practice, and maybe Stiles’s talking isn’t so bad.

He’s still enjoyed the quiet though, but he’s ready now to admit his wrong doing so he can hear some funny pop culture references. His betas don’t watch enough obscure shows and movies like Stiles does, and he misses the throwbacks and jokes.

Only, when Derek goes to Stiles’s window that night, the window is locked. And he can very clearly see Stiles playing a game on his computer, but when he knocks on the window, Stiles doesn’t even bat an eye or turn his head. He just keeps playing, making a big show of turning the sound up on his computer.

Okay… so Stiles isn’t ready to talk. That’s fine. Derek has more patience than Stiles. He can wait it out.

~

Except that in the second week, when he still hasn’t heard anything from Stiles, and in fact was blatantly ignored again, Derek initially wants to be angrier.

He had watched lacrosse practice, and when it was through and he was waiting for Issac, Stiles didn’t look at him once even though he, Scott, and Issac were all standing next to each other when Derek approached them. And what hurt more was that even when Derek said “Hi, Stiles,” Stiles _looked past him_ as if he hadn’t heard anything, like Derek wasn’t there at all. Scott and Isaac could sense the tension, but before either of them could say anything, or for Isaac to pull Derek away before the claws came out, Stiles turned to Scott and Isaac, said goodbye, and walked right by Derek, without even bumping his shoulder.

Initially, yeah, he was pissed. He was trying to give Stiles space, hell he was trying to fucking apologize to him, and he was giving Derek such a cold shoulder that it was glacial.

But then his anger dissolved, and he was more guilt-ridden (and a little empty) than angry. When he had heard Stiles address Scott and Isaac, Derek realized that he had missed the sound of Stiles’s voice, his sarcastic comments, his laughter. Stiles had been the only one who could actually make Derek smile, a genuine smile of happiness, and Derek was longing for those times when it happened. Because when Stiles was successful in “cracking the candy coating of the big bad wolf to expose his soft and chocolate-y center,” Stiles was ecstatic, and his smile in return was a thousand times better than Derek’s ever could be.

Derek doesn’t quite know what to do. It is obvious to him that Stiles is still upset with him, and even though he wants to be done with this whole vow of silence towards him, he is willing to give Stiles more time. The last thing he wants to do is piss Stiles off further because he knows it’ll probably destroy what measly shaky thing that could be called a friendship between them. That’s all he has (or had), and he wants more but accepts that it likely won’t happen, and he doesn’t want to lose the sort of friendship they had before this.

He had thought Stiles liked him, had occasionally smelled a hint of arousal whenever they had gotten close to one another for a long amount of time, but then again Stiles was a sexually frustrated, virgin teenager, so Derek had chalked it up to that. Derek, though, has liked Stiles for a while, but again he’s a teenager and his dad’s the Sheriff, which is why Derek has kept his distance. He doesn’t want another reason to be handcuffed and imprisoned.

Derek could wait, would wait, and if he has to wait for this too, for Stiles to forgive him and talk to him again, fine.

He tries to go to Stiles’s window at the end of the second week of silence, but the window is locked again, and he can see Stiles passed out slumped over his desk. He wants so badly to pick the lock, climb in, and carry Stiles to his bed and tuck him in, but that would be a very bad idea. So instead he shakes his head at the sight and jumps back down to the ground and goes home.

~

In the third week, Stiles actually shows up with Scott to their pack meeting. Derek tries his best to hide it, but he is so relieved to see Stiles again that he almost goes to pick him up and hug him. But when he approaches, Stiles tenses up and clenches his fist, so Derek stops and backs away. Scott must have forced Stiles to come then maybe. Well, at least he’s here.

Usually in pack meetings, Stiles always chimes up, voicing his opinions and concerns about whatever they talk about. During this one, though, he stays quiet. His arms are crossed in front of his chest, his body a line of tension in his seat next to Scott on the couch. Derek chances a glance at him every now and then, and he can tell Stiles wants to say something but is clearly holding back, occasionally vibrating with how much he’s resisting from interrupting.

When the meeting’s over and the pack is about to eat the pizza that had just been delivered, Derek decides to use this as an opportunity to pull Stiles aside and apologize. Perhaps with everyone else there he’ll be more willing to hear Derek out. Except that every time Derek gets within three feet of him, Stiles moves away, sticking close to Scott and the others. He’s talking to them, granted not in his usual loud and boisterous tone, but he doesn’t seem to be as reserved with them as he had been when Derek was talking during the meeting.

After the fourth time Derek tries to approach Stiles only to have him walk away and hide behind Scott or go to sit next to Erica on the couch, Derek gives up. He’s not going to chase him around just to say he’s sorry. Why does Stiles have to be such a child about this (uh he is a teenager, so maybe he has the right)? Derek hates the fact that Stiles talks to everyone but him, and he doesn’t know what he can do to change that. To get Stiles to talk to him again or at the very least listen to him or stand in one spot long enough to be near him.

After the pack meeting, Stiles made it clear that he was still avoiding Derek. So, he doesn’t even bother to go to Stiles’s window at the end of the week because he already knows he’ll find it locked.

~

It’s been a month now, and Derek is kind of going a little crazy. He’s seen Stiles a few more times since the pack meeting, and he doesn’t seem to be as tense around him and he’s not repelling him like a polar opposite magnet. Derek takes that as a good sign. But, even though Stiles’s presence is comforting, he still hasn’t said a word to Derek. He’s talked to everyone else around him, but never addresses Derek directly, and when Derek tries to address him, Stiles just stares at him. Well more like stares through him, and Derek is past the point of it angering him. Now it just hurts.

All he can think about is Stiles, about the uptick of his lips when Derek says something Stiles finds amusing, the way the end of his nose is turned up, how long his eyelashes are, and more importantly his voice. The timbre of it, the inflections and differences in tone depending on what he’s speaking about. How the pitch goes higher when he gets really excited or passionate about something, or when it goes lower when he is unimpressed. The emphasis he puts on certain words to make his statements more sarcastic or to make his point more emphatic.

For as much as Derek wanted Stiles to shut up before, now all he wants is to hear Stiles talk to him and never stop. He’s gone so long now that the absence of Stiles’s chatter is more frustrating than its presence ever was. At least when Stiles was talking, Derek knew what he was thinking, knew where they stood with each other. These days he has no idea what Stiles thinks about him or how he feels about him, and it’s scary and disheartening.

He’s never gone so long without having a conversation with Stiles, and he hates it. It has to end very soon or else Derek might lose his mind.

When he hears Stiles say loudly to Scott after pack bonding time (a movie night, usually chosen by Stiles but this time Boyd had picked and it was okay) that the weather is pretty nice and he might leave his window open to let in the breeze that night, Derek knows he’s saying it for him and not for Scott. And while he’s a bit miffed that Stiles didn’t just tell him that, he’s not going to pass up the opportunity.

Once nightfall hits, the rest of the pack long gone and safe in their own homes, Derek goes to Stiles’s house. Sure enough the window is cracked open, and Stiles is reading a book in bed, like he’s been waiting for Derek to show up and just grabbed a random title from his shelf to pass the time until Derek arrived.

Stiles doesn’t move or bother to look up when Derek opens the window wider and climbs into the room. He does finally stare at Derek when he tentatively sits on the edge of Stiles’s bed though. Stiles slowly puts the book down on his nightstand and folds his hands in his lap then turns his glare to Derek. He ticks one eyebrow up, as if to say, “well here I am, your move,” and Derek clears his throat.

“Stiles… I… I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” Stiles tilts his head a little in agreement but doesn’t open his mouth. “I was angry because I was worried… about you. I don’t like seeing you hurt. I… care about you.” Stiles’s eyes seem to widen a little at the admission. “Look, I know you do a lot for the pack, and you are right, I should listen to your plans first before I act.”

Stiles huffs, as if to say, “Damn straight,” but he still hasn’t uttered a word. Derek scoots closer to Stiles and rests his hand on Stiles’s ankle. Stiles doesn’t flinch or move away from the touch, so Derek moves a little closer and keeps his hand there.

“I don’t… I don’t like it when you ignore what I say either though.” Stiles ducks his head down a little, like he gets it, gets that this isn’t entirely Derek’s fault. “Sometimes I feel like you… ugh…” Derek’s statements or so stilted but he knows he has to get it out because Stiles has to hear it. And from the reaction he’s getting, Stiles is letting him fill the silence instead of the other way around. “Like you take on too much when you really shouldn’t. It should be me. I’m the alpha, and it’s my responsibility.” Stiles rolls his eyes a little. “No, I mean it. You shouldn’t have to worry about all of this crap, but you do, and I don’t know how to get you to stop or if I even can. And I know you don’t want to, which is fine, but maybe… maybe we could kind of share the burden and work together so I won’t feel as helpless?”

Stiles’s eyes drift down to his hands in consideration of everything Derek’s said, and when he looks back at Derek, he nods. Derek moves closer to Stiles, shifting so that his hand is now on Stiles’s calf and his knee is propped up on the bed and nudging Stiles’s. Still, the silence drags on, but Derek can hear the slightly faster pace of Stiles’s heart when he’s moved.

“Stiles?” he asks because shouldn’t Stiles say something now that he’s said so much? He practically poured his soul out, and the only things he’s gotten in return have been head tilts, darting eyes, and a nod. When he locks eyes with Stiles, Derek searches for what else Stiles could be waiting for. What more does he need to say before Stiles will open his mouth and talk?

Then he realizes that even though he’s said quite a lot, at least for him, he still hasn’t actually apologized. He inches even closer before he says anything though; he’s sitting right next to Stiles now, facing him, and their thighs are pressing up against each other. Stiles’s heartbeat gets a little faster. He slides his hand up Stiles’s leg, his palm resting on Stiles’s knee.

“Stiles, I’m sorry…. For everything.” He squeezes Stiles’s knee, and Stiles looks down at the gesture. “I am sorry.”

And that was what he had been waiting for. Stiles lets out a long breath, like he’d been holding it this whole time, ever since he jumped out of Derek’s car a month ago. When he lets it out, his shoulders relax, and the tension and stiffness he’d had every time he’d seen Derek melts away. He looks up at Derek and gives him a little smile, which Derek returns.

Stiles looks down at his hands again though, and Derek starts to worry that maybe his apology wasn’t enough. That Stiles is still too upset with him to forgive him and speak to him again, and Derek hopes and prays that’s not the case. He doesn’t think he can go another hour without having Stiles talk to him, and if he has to wait another week, he knows it’s not going to be good.

Worried, Derek moves closer, ducking his head to try to catch Stiles’s eyes. “Hey… I… um. I don’t know what else to say, Stiles. _Please_ talk to me. I can’t stand it anymore,” he says, his voice almost desperate now with how much he needs Stiles to say something, anything.

At that, Stiles looks up, and it’s no longer a small smile on his lips, but more of a smirk. Like, he’s telling Derek, “Well you’re the one that told me to shut up, and that’s what I’ve done. This is what you asked for.” Derek just shakes his head because he knows that Stiles has already forgiven him, and now he’s just seeing how long he can drag this out. Make Derek squirm with his need for Stiles to fill the emptiness around them with words instead of Derek.

“Really?” Derek says, and he means to have it come out flat, but it sounds a little too relieved. Looks like Derek will have to do something to make Stiles talk.

Derek leans in further, moving his hand again, this time resting it on Stiles’s thigh, his thumb rubbing small circles. He smiles, more to himself than anything, because he can hear the pause in Stiles’s heartbeat and the rhythm of it speed up even more afterward. He’s in Stiles’s space now, their faces inches apart, and Stiles is trying his best to keep the smirk on his face, but his eyes have widened, and Derek can tell he won’t last much longer.

“You’re still going to give me,” Derek pauses as he tilts his head and leans in enough to press his lips to Stiles’s neck, and Stiles breath hitches, “the silent treatment?” He kisses Stiles neck again and lingers a little before he pulls back enough to see Stiles’s face again, and the smirk is long gone, replaced with a look of surprise. His mouth is open, and Derek can’t tell if it’s just in shock or if it’s cause he’s about to say something.

Derek kisses his cheek, and whispers in his ear, “Stiles. Please.” Then because he can be just as teasing, he sucks a little at Stiles’s earlobe, tugging it gently with his teeth. Stiles whimpers, and Derek is so happy he’s heard something from him, that he mouths a little further down his jaw and neck, gently sucking and scrapping his teeth along it until Stiles moans.

“I… ah… I don’t know how you expect to me to say anything when you keep doing that,” Stiles finally, _finally_ , says. Derek leans back and smiles, allowing Stiles to go on. “I—I’m sorry, too,” he sighs. “I care about you, too. That’s why I get mad when you go ahead. I can only do so much as a powerless human, and my game plans are my attempt to keep you safe.”

Derek reaches up to cup Stiles’s face with his hand. “I know…. I know,” he says, stroking Stiles’s cheek with his thumb. He leans forward again, resting his forehead against Stiles’s. “I’m sorry. I’ll do better.”

“Me, too,” Stiles replies, brushing his nose against Derek’s. After a moment, he says, “And way to use your I-statements there, big guy.”

Derek snorts, “Stiles…”

“What? Shut up?”

Derek locks eyes with Stiles and shakes his head. “No. Never.”

Stiles lifts an eyebrow. “Never?”

Derek tilts his head in consideration. “Well… I think I have better ways than _telling_ you to shut up.”

“Oh yeah? And what would they—“ Derek surges forward and seals his lips over Stiles’s. When he breaks it, Stiles’s lips are still puckered and his eyes are closed. He slowly opens his eyes, and Derek is grinning. “Oh. Okay. That… works. Just… don’t go abusing this new found power.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Derek says, pushing Stiles back as he kisses him again. And again. And again.

Because Derek might be glad to hear Stiles’s voice again, but now, he’d rather hear those whimpers and sounds he was making earlier…

**Author's Note:**

> I apparently have a thing for Stiles's talking and Derek kissing him quiet. Sorry. But I also like the idea of Derek finally getting Stiles to be quiet only to have it backfire on him. Anyway, I've had this idea for awhile, so I'm glad I finally wrote it out. Hope you guys like it! :)
> 
> Come say hello on [my tumblr](http://literaryoblivion.tumblr.com).


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